■sheets — lOd. : an apparent saving in the first instance of 3s. 2cl. 

 We must then consider the matter from another point of view. 



The consensus oi: opinion among the most experienced beekeepers 

 is that there is an expenditure of about 12 lbs. of honey in making 

 1 lb. of wax — that is, the bees consume that quantity of honey before 

 secreting 1 lb. of wax. The ten sheets of comb-foundation weigh 

 Ih lbs. and cost 4s. For this there would have to be an expenditure of 

 18 lbs. of honey, which at the low price of 3d. per pound is 4s. 6d., 

 so that there is a saving of 6d. in favour of the full sheets, to say 

 nothing about all the other advantages gained. 



I trust I have now made the matter clear enough to influence 

 all our beekeepers in favour of making the fullest use possible of 

 •com b-f oundation . 



II. EIPBNING EXTRACTED HONEY. 



That all honey should be thoroughly ripe when sent to market 

 goes without saying, otlierwise it will sooner or later ferment and 

 become useless for table purposes, and injure future sales of the same 

 brand. It is not an uncommon tiling to find honey going bad after 

 being on the market a short time, to the loss of the merchant and 

 producer. Quite recently I saw a line of 21b. tins of honey con- 

 demned through fermentation and sent to auction. The tins bore 

 the label of a well-known beekeeper, and the result, no doubt, will 

 be tViat his honey will be avoided in future, in that district at least. 

 All beekeepers I have visited so far appear to realise the importance 

 of ripening honey, but less than half a dozen had the proper apparatus 

 for doing so. 



Nectar or honey when first gathered contains a variable quantity 

 of water, usually ranging from 18 to 23 per cent., according to the 

 weather. Mr. Otto Hehner, F.I.C., F.C.S., public analyst, and 

 analyst to the British Beekeepers' Association, in a lecture before 

 that body some years ago stated, " Essentially, honey consists of 

 water and of sugar. Of the water I need say but little except 

 that I have found it to vary in quantity from 12 to 23 per cent., 

 the normal proportion being from 18 to 21 per cent. When the 

 percentage falls below 18 the honey is generally very hard and 

 solid ; when it is higher than 21 it is frequently quite or almost 

 clear." 



Honev even in its ripened state, as will be seen, contains some 

 water. When first gathered, if it contains, as it usually does, too 

 much, the bees after storing it allow the honey-cells to remain open 



